Street-sign.



PATENTEE SEPT. 13, 1904. M. EOEEETMEE.

STREET SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED SEPT. 13,. 1904.

M. HOPH'BIMBR. STREET SIGN.

BPLIGATION FILED MAR. 24. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.-

N0 MODEL.

Inventor Patented September 13, 1904.

UNrrnn STATES ArnNT Urraca.

MAURICE HOFI-IEIMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STREET-SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,068, dated September 13, 1904.

Application filed March 24, 1904.

To all whom 'l; muy concern.-

Be it know-n that I, MAURICE HOFHEIMER, of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Signs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved sign which shall be visible by day and in which the names of streets or other indications may be illuminated at night by an electric lamp or other source of light without diverting any material part of such light which is ordinarily used for other purposes.

Furthermore, my invention has for its obf ject to provide a sign specially adapted for plan View. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with parts 1n vertical section. Flg. 4 shows a slight modliication.

The invention may be embodied in any desired style of sign-frame, which may be cylindrical, triangular, or of any shape which its various uses may dictate. In the present instance I have shown the frame of rectangular formation, consisting of sides 2, which are joined together by corner-pieces 3. The frame is supported by a series of brackets 4, the inner ends of which are clamped to the electriclight post 5, which latter supports an overhanging lamp 6. The sides 2 of the frame are formed with longitudinal openings to provide clear spaces for the display of sign-boards 7,

- which are placed immediately back of said openings, being secured at their ends in grooves 8 and supported at their bottoms by inwardly-extended lugs 9. The grooves 8 are preferably formed on the inner faces of the sides 2. The several sign-boards may be made of any material in which part of the surface Serial No. 199,823. (No model.)

is transparent or translucent and the remaining surface more or less opaque, except in the instance hereinafter described. Porcelain may be used or stenciled metal or colored glass, with the letters etched out or sand-blasted. Behind two of the sign-boards-namely, those nearer to or facing the source of light-are placed reiiectors 12, which latter may preferably be made of white enameled plates or other suitable material, the white surfaces refleeting and at the same time diiusing the light. The ends 13 of these reflectors rest upon lugs I4 and are held in place by bearing against lingers 15, said lugs and fingers projecting inwardly from the corner-pieces of the frame. The two remaining sign-boards4 namely, those farther away from the lightare at a more or less oblique angle to the direction of the light, so that the rays of the latterwill pass directly through them.

The sign -frame is attached to an electriclight post in about the position shown in Fig. l so that the light from the lamp will strike directly upon those two signs which are farther' away from the light and upon the reflectors of those two signs nearer thereto, as shown by the dotted lines A and B, Fig. 3, and C, Fig. 2. Thus the rays A will strike the reiiectors 12 and will be reected through the contiguous sign-boards in rear of which they are located, while the remaining two sign-boards are in the unobstructed path of the rays B, so that the latter will pass directly through such sign boards and illuminate them.

The scope of the invention clearly admits of numerous structural modifications, as well as in the purposes for which the signs may be employed.

In Fig. l I have shown the sign-frame as attached to a post where the lamp is hung close to the body thereof, in which position very little of the light strikes directly upon the faces of the signs nearer thereto. The invention may be used as well in cases where the lamp is located farther away from the post, as indicated in Fig. 4. In -this instance the rays of light D will strike the faces of the two sign-boards nearer thereto, which now act as reflectors, while the rays E will pass through the remaining sign-boards the same as in the first instance described. In this arrangement the refiectors l2 can be dispensed with.

I claim as my invention- 1. In combination with a post having an overhang'ing light, a sign-frame mounted on said post and having a plurality of separate signs, and means for refiecting the lig'ht from the rear through the sign or signs facing in the direction of the light, the remaining sign or signs being' in the unobstructed path of the light-rays which pass directly through them.

2. In combination with a post having an overhanging light, a rectangular sign-frame mounted on said post, reiiectors directly in rear of those two signs nearer to or facing the light for reflecting and diffusing the light through such signs, the remaining signs being in the unobstructed path of the light-rays which pass directly through them.

3. In combination with a post having an overhanging light, an open top frame secured to said post, signs in the sides of said frame, and reflectors in rear of and in close juxtaposition to the signs nearer to or facing the light, the remaining' signs being in the unobstructed path of the light-rays which pass directly through them.

4. The sign-frame having openings in its sides, signs coincident with said openings, said frame having grooves at the ends of said openings on the inner sides to accommodate said signs, and supports for the latter consisting of lugs projecting' inwardly from the frame near the bottom thereof, as set forth.

5. The rectangular sign-frame having openings in its sides, sig'nsfitted over said openings, reflectors in rear of some of said signs, lugs projecting inwardly from the frame for supporting said reflectors, and fingers at some of the corners of the frame against which the ends of said reflectors are designed to bear.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAURICE HOFHEIMER.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. FLANAGAN, LEOPOLD M. GoULs'roN. 

